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Even with recent innovations in steering, traction and braking systems, drivers still regularly face dangerous weather-related road conditions. This week, INRIX launched NRIX Road Weather, which provides critical information on road conditions, including updated alerts every 15 minutes. Unlike traditional weather services, INRIX Road Weather provides information on the roads themselves, including type of precipitation, surface conditions and visibility, among others. It is the first system to use real-time data from connected vehicles to report road conditions and alert other drivers of potentially dangerous situations. Road Weather is available today to automotive and enterprise customers in North America and Europe.

Adverse weather conditions have a huge impact on travellers across Europe and the UK, leading to:

8,000 European weather-related auto accident fatalities each year

45,000 crashes due to snow or ice since 2005

12 mega crashes, involving 10 or more cars, in the UK each year

30% of European traffic fatalities from slippery roads and bad visibility

Despite aggressive improvements in safety systems, the best thing drivers can do is to avoid dangerous road conditions completely, but that’s not always possible. Leveraging a broad set of public and private data sources, real-time vehicle sensor data, and forecast modelling technology from Global Weather Corporation (GWC), INRIX Road Weather keeps drivers and their vehicles informed of dangerous road conditions ahead.

“INRIX has been focused on making driving not only more efficient, but also safer,“ said Bryan Mistele, founder and chief executive officer of INRIX. “Road Weather is another innovative next step that continues our work to use massive amounts of big data and leading-edge technology to make connected cars safer and cities smarter.”

The road condition information collected by INRIX is analysed and transmitted to other vehicles and mobile applications giving drivers important and timely information on whether they should adjust their route or driving behaviour well ahead of the problem. INRIX Road Weather can also help public transportation and road maintenance agencies be more efficient applying resources. Additionally, it can assist emergency service personnel manage traffic flow before an accident occurs.

INRIX developed Road Weather in collaboration with GWC, the world’s most accurate temperature forecaster in 2013 and 2014, as reported by independent analyst ForecastWatch. Combining the data available from in-vehicle sensors with GWC’s algorithms to accurately predict temperature and precipitation on the road, INRIX Road Weather can alert drivers to dangerous situations before they happen.

“Global Weather Corporation has pioneered the global use of hyperlocal weather models to create forecasts even specific enough for vehicle applications. We are partnering with INRIX to leverage the power of real-time connected vehicle data that can further enhance forecast accuracy and coverage, which will ultimately improve driver safety,” stated Mark Flolid, chief executive officer, GWC.

INRIX Road Weather is available now for automakers, mobile application developers and public sector agencies, and will soon be available in the INRIX mobile app.